Airbus - A320, A330 to A380

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The saga of the A380 continues.  At US$350 million a pop it's  going to cost RR plenty of $$$.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/18/airbus-qantas-rolls-royce-engine-replacement

50% of Airbus Rolls-Royce engines need replacing, says Qantas


After explosion, Trent 900s are stripped from new aircraft on production line to keep airline planes flying


Around one in two of all Rolls-Royce engines in service on Airbus A380 aircraft are to be replaced after one broke apart during flight earlier this month, Australia's Qantas Airways said today.

A Qantas A380 flying from London to Sydney with 466 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing after a stopover in Singapore two weeks ago, when one of its four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines blew out.

The airline has since grounded its six A380s since the incident, while its, rival Singapore Airlines, with 11 Rolls-Royce powered A380s, hashad to cancel several flights in order to remove some engines and replace them.

"We've been talking to Airbus and Rolls-Royce and we understand that the number [of engines to be replaced] is around 40," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce told reporters.

"We've already replaced three, and there could be more."

There are 37 A380s, which have a list price of $350m each, in operation worldwide. Some 21 of those are powered by the Trent 900.

Airlines have sought to replace existing engines with newer versions since the emergency landing on 4 November.

Joyce declined to confirm an Australian newspaper report on Thursday that his airline's six A380s were likely to remain grounded until December or later.

But he did confirm Qantas wanted Airbus to replace some of Qantas's existing Rolls-Royce engines with new engines from aircraft still in production on the assembly line. The problem with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine is thought to develop over time, so the new engines should not present safety issues and will give Rolls-Royce time to come up with a permanent solution. Airbus has orders for almost 200 further A380s.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11782579

Rolls Royce 'may replace up to 40 Airbus A380 engines'

Damaged engine on a Qantas A380 Airbus at Changi airport, Singapore (4 Nov 2010) Rolls Royce has said a specific component in the engine was to blame for the fire

Up to 40 Rolls-Royce engines on Airbus A380 superjumbos worldwide will need to be replaced, according to Australian airline Qantas.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce was speaking two weeks after a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on an A380 exploded in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing.

Qantas has grounded its six Airbuses since the incident.

The Trent 900 engines are used on A380s operated by Qantas, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

Between them the three airlines operate 20 A380 planes, each of which has four Rolls-Royce engines.

Mr Joyce told reporters at Sydney airport the airline had already replaced three engines on its planes.

"We've been talking to Airbus and Rolls-Royce and we understand that the number [of engines to be replaced] is around 40," he said.

Investigators believe an oil leak inside the engines may have caused the fire on the Qantas flight from Singapore to Sydney on 4 November.

Rolls-Royce has said the engine failure "was confined to a specific component" which led to an oil fire and loss of turbine pressure.

The plane was forced to return to Singapore shortly after take-off.

All 459 passengers and crew were unharmed but analysts said it was the most serious incident in the three-year history of the Airbus plane.

via : http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=79763&page=3

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hmm... something big.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13884433

Airbus piled up the orders at the Paris air show as it announced the largest single order of commercial aircraft in history.

Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia is buying 200 of the A320neo jets, in a deal worth about $18bn (£11bn).

That eclipsed a deal on Wednesday, when India's IndiGo confirmed an order for 180 planes from Airbus.

The new versions of the A320 are in demand as their new engines make them more fuel-efficient and cheaper to run.

The IndiGo deal, worth about $15.6bn, is for 150 A320neos and 30 A320s. It is confirmation of a memorandum of understanding the two companies signed in January this year.

'Historic deal'
Airbus said that the AirAsia deal made the Malaysian carrier its biggest airline customer for its single-aisle product line.

Altogether, AirAsia has now placed firm orders for 375 aircraft from the A320 family, with 89 already in service.

"With this historic deal, AirAsia has secured its future with the ability to meet the huge growth potential offered by the Asian market," said Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia.

Airbus, owned by EADS, has left rival Boeing far behind in terms of orders at the event, as high fuel costs increase the demand for more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

Though slightly modified, the 150-seat passenger jet itself is not new. But its engines are - and they are much better than anything else currently on offer”


Jorn Madslien
Business reporter, BBC News, Paris air show
Aviation industry becoming cost-conscious
It has taken firm orders for 586 aircraft, worth about $55.8bn, with a further $29.5bn in provisional orders.

Boeing, meanwhile, has taken firm orders for just 47 planes, worth $7.5bn, with another $14.9bn placed in provisional orders.

Other manufacturers have also been signing contracts with airlines at the show.

Canada's Bombardier has received firm orders for 36 planes, with options for airlines to buy up to 26 more.

Russian-Italian joint venture Superjet International has signed a provisional deal to sell 12 Superjet 100 airliners to Italian carrier Blue Panorama Airlines for $370m.

The company, jointly-owned by Russia's Sukhoi and a unit of Italy's Finmeccanica, has 170 firm orders to date and delivered its first aircraft earlier this year.

Boeing's dilemma
Airbus estimates it has sold more than 700 A320neo jets so far.

Airbus A320neo

Slightly modified version of the A320, with "sharklet" wing tips
Single-aisle passenger jet, seats 150
15% more fuel-efficient than the conventional A320, which should save airlines almost $1m (£625,000) per year per plane
Should reduce CO2 emissions from each aircraft by 3,600 tonnes per year
Source: Airbus

"There is a possibility that we will be at 1,000 by the end of the show," said Airbus sales chief John Leahy.

According to the BBC's aerospace industry specialist, Jorn Madslien, the A320neos are proving popular because their two new engines are 15% more fuel efficient and 30% cheaper to maintain than current models.

But Airbus' success leaves Boeing with a very tough dilemma, our correspondent at the air show says.

The US planemaker's A320 rival is the 737, but the plane is very low, so fitting modern, fuel-efficient engines under its wings would be a tight squeeze.

Making it happen would require a new undercarriage, which is costly and difficult, as well as time-consuming, he says.

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bargain? or bad timing? or as a favor?

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110809-723289.html

By Chun Han Wong

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Singapore Airlines Ltd. (C6L.SG) said Wednesday it is ordering eight more Boeing Co. (BA) 777-300ER aircraft worth US$2.3 billion at list prices, as part of its growth and aircraft replacement plans.

The carrier will receive the new aircraft starting in the 2013-2014 financial year, and will operate them on medium- and long-haul routes, it said in a statement.

The new aircraft, to be powered by General Electric Co.'s (GE) GE90 engines, will join Singapore Airlines' existing fleet of 19 Boeing 777-300ERs, it added.

"These aircraft are being ordered for SIA's growth purposes as well as for replacement, in line with our longstanding policy of operating a young and modern fleet," a company spokeswoman said.

The average age of Singapore Airlines' fleet--comprising 106 aircraft currently--is six years and four months, as of July.

Singapore Airlines last month posted a sharper-than-expected 82% decline in first-quarter net profit after soaring crude-oil prices pushed up its fuel bill, and warned of a difficult period ahead.

In May, the carrier said it will start a no-frills low-fare subsidiary next year that will operate flights on medium- and long-haul routes, initially using Boeing 777-200 aircraft from the parent.

-By Chun Han Wong, Dow Jones Newswires; +65 64154 160; chunhan.wong@dowjones.com

SIA, Emirates, Qatars - Airline matters
via : http://www.celicasg.org/index.php/topic,2775.msg88946.html#msg88946

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Boeing plays down 787 delamination problem
[youtube]8I2GkB7lErc[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8I2GkB7lErc

[tags] delamination